Episodes

40 - Stigma Reduction in the Church (feat. Kristen Kansiewicz)

We're gonna keep it rolling with guest hosts: this week we're visited by Kristen Kansiewicz, a counselor who works in the church setting and writes extensively about the topics of integrating faith & mental health. (If you're unfamiliar with Kristen, you should check out the previous episodes of CXMH she's been on!) Kristen talks about different types of stigma, what our reactions to mental illness tend to be, how these play out in church communities, and what we can do about it.

(Note: this audio was originally accompanied by a video presentation with slides, so you may hear some references to that.)

Quotes:- “Even our language can be stigmatizing.” (tweet)- “Stigma reduces the likelihood that someone is going to seek treatment.” (tweet)- “52-74% of people with mental health disorders do not receive treatment.” (tweet)- “Jesus demonstrated compassion, but He didn’t pity people.” (tweet)- “If the church is a place where people come and they’re hurting or struggling, and then they feel alienated from God or blamed for their symptoms, then we have a gospel problem.” (tweet)- “That’s our target: helping people in the margins.” (tweet)- “The church has to be in the front of [protesting] and not contributing to things that need to be protested.” (tweet)